


I'm Bad at Life

by watashinokuraikokoro



Category: Andy Black - Fandom, Black Veil Brides, Falling in Reverse
Genre: Addiction, Alcohol Abuse, Angst, Anxiety, Assault, Bands, Depression, Drug Abuse, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Mental Breakdown, Mild Language, Music, Relapse, Relationship(s), Romance, Substance Abuse, Violence, Warped Tour, singers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-12-22 17:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11972481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watashinokuraikokoro/pseuds/watashinokuraikokoro
Summary: Ronnie Radke's pretty bad at life. Andy Biersack's younger sister, Alexa Biersack, who happens to be Ronnie's makeup artist, knows this better than anyone.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story contains mild language and possibly mild violence. Remember, the more comments, likes, hits, etc., the more I want to continue the story! Leave some love. <3 -Kurai

A/N: I know this chapter might seem a bit slow, but the next one gets really interesting, I promise. This does contain some important information regarding certain characters, so please do read this one, too. Remember, the more people comment, the more I want to write! -Kurai <3

XXX

"I know I'm new and it's not my place to ask, but..." She began, dusting his face with a light layer of translucent powder, "What the hell happened to your face?"

The vocalist snorted, causing him to choke on the powder flying through the air. "You should ask Zakk, he's the one who hit me in the eye with a bat."

"That was an accident, I swear," Zakk called out from the other side of the room as he pulled on a black leather jacket. Ronnie gave the makeup artist a look and shook his head teasingly, mouthing, "It wasn't an accident."

As Alexa touched up the bruised eye with concealer, ignoring how Ronnie's eye twitched in pain, she let out a sigh. "You guys are going to get yourselves killed. Anyway, I'm done here, so have fun on stage. My brother's picking me up early because I promised I'd replace his makeup artist for his concert in an hour, so I'll be back after you guys are done."

Ronnie stood up from his chair and examined his eye in the mirror above the vanity. After nodding in approval, he gestured toward the stage with his hand. "Come on guys, we have an audience to please," without giving Alexa a second glance. The girl rolled her eyes. Yes, she was new to the crew and had only been a makeup artist for... Well, a month, she wondered if he would ever pay her any attention. She felt more like a shadow than a teammate, which is what the manager referred to her as to make her feel more appreciated. Then again, maybe it was just Ronnie's aloof personality showing, perhaps it had nothing to do with her. There was no way for her to know.

Zakk, Christian, and Derek all followed Ronnie on to stage eagerly, leaving the 20-year-old girl behind. She tried not to let the frustration of being a nobody get to her, especially in Ronnie's eyes, but it did. 

"Al, let's roll, the boys want you to do their makeup too, tonight," Her brother's voice sounded out behind her. She turned around to see Andy, her older and only brother. He had a smile on his lips that wouldn't leave, and understandably so. His wife, Juliet, had just told him that she was pregnant, and this would be his first concert since his hiatus where he adopted the Andy Black identity. He was now Andy Biersack again, lead singer of Black Veil Brides, and he was more than relieved to be back with his band. 

Alexa sat in the passenger's seat of Andy's sleek, black Cadillac, fiddling with the radio. "How's Juliet doing? Has her morning sickness passed?"

"No, not yet, so she won't be here tonight. I've requested that she not come to any of my concerts till Biersack Junior is born, for her safety and the baby's," Andy stated, another smile appearing on his face. After a few moments of silence, he continued. "Being a father is going to be weird as hell... And to think, you're going to be an aunt. I never thought we'd reach this point."

Alexa knew that her brother had always been adamant that he would never bring children into the world, yet he was. She knew he would make a good father, that is after the baby was born, but she was surprised to see that he was already doing a good job of it. She had expected him to be bitter about the whole situation, afraid even, but he seemed more happy than afraid. She was proud of him for it. 

"Yeah, you and Juliet are going to make great parents, and I'm sure my nephew will follow in both of your footsteps and have a gorgeous voice," she said, smiling with Andy. 

"Nephew? So you think it will be a boy?" Andy asked, raising an eyebrow. "I think it's going to be a girl, and so does Juliet," He stated. 

"Well, my aunty instincts tell me otherwise. Also, I'm positive he's going to be positively beautiful, just like his parents. When I was younger, I was scared of having ugly babies, but I don't think that's possible for a couple like you and your wife," Alexa said with a laugh, "So you're lucky on both accounts."

Andy rolled his eyes and shook his head, smiling fondly. "You won't have ugly babies... Most babies are ugly, anyway. Speaking of... Any boys I should know about?"

Alexa frowned. She had been single since high school, and she was nearly finished with college now. It wasn't that she couldn't find anyone who liked her, no, it was that nobody was ever her type. Well, that was wrong, too, for she had thought she was attracted to tall, light-haired boys, but then as soon as one would ask her out, she would suddenly dislike him. Same with average height, stocky type. She would just suddenly lose interest, like that. 

"No, no boys at the moment, and there probably won't be any for a while, so don't worry," She said, smirking at her brother, though deep down her heart sunk. She hated being alone. After so many years of never being attracted to anyone, she became lonely. It wasn't that she didn't have anyone, for she knew that her brother always had her back, as well as Juliet, but she needed a different kind of support and love, and Andy seemed to know this. 

He shook his head. "Don't fret about it. The right one will come around soon enough." And then the conversation left off on that depressing note. 

The rest of the ride was had in comfortable silence. Music blared quietly from the radio, occupying both their minds until they came to their destination, a small music studio a few miles away from the stages at Warped Tour and its millions of RVs.

"We'll do the makeup here and then bring everyone back to WT," And said.

The Biersack siblings got out of the car, Alexa taking extra time to unload her makeup kit and then rushing after Andy, and headed into the music studio to find the rest of the Black Veil Brides band lounging around on the red couches. 

"I thought you guys said you'd be recording," Andy stated with some irritation in his voice. He eyed Christian warily, suspecting he was the one whose bright idea it was to procrastinate doing their work.

"It was totally not me," CC defended himself, raising his hands.

"It totally was," Juliet sighed, coming out of the restroom with her hands resting on her pregnant belly. Seeing Andy's confused expression at her appearance, she added, "I'm only here for a little bit. I just wanted to see you before you went on stage." Andy smiled brightly and went to greet her with a hug and kiss, while Alexa smirked at CC who winked at her mischievously. 

"It was me," said band member mouthed to the girl. Alexa rolled her eyes at him and greeted Jake, Ashley, and Jinxx. 

Eventually, she managed to round up the boys and do each one's makeup with the help of a reference photo. She had only ever done their makeup once before, and it wasn't for an actual show, rather it was a mere practice round for her. She received many compliments on the accuracy of her artistry in respect to their usual makeup, but the words didn't please her like they used to. Nevertheless, she thanked them for their kindness and went to chat with Juliet and Andy for a short while.

"Have you guys thought about names yet?" She asked, causing the couple's eyes to brighten significantly and their smiles to widen. They acted as though they'd been wed yesterday, and though it used to irritated Alexa, she didn't mind it at all anymore. Rather, she was happy for them that they found someone who could make them feel such a way constantly. 

"Well, we were leaning towards Chris if it's a boy, or January if it's a girl. We haven't set anything in stone yet, but we have plenty of time to decide," Juliet said, smiling at Andy fondly.

"Oh, Chris? You'll name him after Dad? That's sweet," Alexa nodded, a faint smile appearing on her lips. 

"We both think it's going to be a girl, though, so it will probably be January," Andy added, grasping Juliet's hand.

Alexa laughed quietly. "I hope it's a boy just to spite you two. Anyway, we should probably go back to the Warped Tour grounds, right? Don't you go on stage in like, 15 minutes?"

A string of curses flew from Andy's mouth as he hastily ordered everyone to grab their instruments and load them into the black van in the parking lot. Alexa rolled her eyes and sat in the car, waiting for the boys. She wondered how on Earth they'd made it as far as they did in the music industry, being as disorganized as they were.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This chapter gets more interesting. Prepare for some drama. Again, leave a comment because I lack motivation. It's pretty bad. It's probably linked to some mental disorder. But really, leave some love and ideas, and I'll post more soon! -Kurai <3

XXX 

Her brother's band went on stage, leaving Alexa alone once again, so she went in search of Falling in Reverse since they'de come off stage a little while ago. The place was huge, and part of her wondered if she would actually be able to locate them, but she decided that as long as she followed the shouting and sound of people cheering on a fight, it wouldn't be too hard to find Ronnie, at least.

She maneuvered her way through the crowds of people, pulling her hood over her head. Though it was less common and not really a problem, every now and then she'd be recognized as Andy Biersack's younger sister, and it sometimes resulted in creepy and awkward situations, so she decided to play it safe. Fortunately or unfortunately, she'd inherited the same good looks as her brother, giving herself her own set of fans, even though she was only a makeup artist. 

Of course, it was just her luck that the hood would give now help. Someone clutched her shoulder harshly as she attempted to pass them, but there were so many people around her that she couldn't even turn around to see who had grabbed her. She heard a deep voice say, "Hey, you're Alexa, right?"

She pulled her shoulder out of the grasp of the person and turned around to face him. "No," she sighed, looking up at the man, "I get mistaken for her a lot, though." She attempted to get away when the hand this time grabbed the back of her hoodie. 

"You are her, aren't you?" The rather tall man then grasped her wrist and yanked her to the side out of the walkway and in-between two tents. 

Panic erupted in Alexa's gut and her mind went into fight or flight mode. She struggled as he brought her deeper into the alleyway of tents. She didn't want to cause a commotion, but she felt she had no choice. A loud, high-pitched scream erupted from her vocal chords and tears filled her eyes as she clawed at the man's arm.

The man clamped his hand over Alexa's mouth, cutting her cry short. Tears were now flowing at a rapid pace down her cheeks and onto his hand. He lifted her off the ground slightly and began to carry her through the maze of tents faster. The girl was terrified of what would come next if she didn't put her all into getting away. She bit down on his hand as hard as she could.

He retracted his hand quickly in response, and she let out another scream. She kicked backward, hoping to harm him in any way possible, but she knew her efforts were futile. 

Alexa heard a shout from a few meters away, and she was suddenly dropped to the ground. She landed on her back, knocking the air from her lungs. She rolled over and away as quickly as she could and leaned against a tent post. She forced herself to look up at her assailant, when, to her relief, she saw that Ronnie had shown up. 

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" He growled at the man. Ronnie was a few inches taller than the other man, and quite a bit more muscular. He coiled his fist back and released without a second-moment passing, causing the other to fall to the ground and clutch his nose in agony. He then tackled him on the grass, throwing punch after punch.

"What exactly were you going to do to my friend here?" Ronnie asked venomously, now holding the other's head against the grass by the hair on his scalp. The man's face began to swell, and blood dripped from his mouth.

"Nothing, I swear!" He exclaimed fearfully. Alexa could now see that the blood from his mouth was the result of missing teeth. 

Ronnie began to attack him again, when Alexa cried out, "Stop! Let's just go, Ronnie. He learned his lesson, you don't need to get yourself put back into j-" She cut her sentence short, realizing it was not her place to make a statement such as that, so she simply grabbed Ronnie's hand and pulled him off of the other man. 

"Let's go," She mumbled, wiping the tears that somehow were still streaming down her cheeks. She stood closer to her savior than usual and didn't take her eyes off her assailant. Ronnie sighed and shook his head, calling out as the two walked away, "Come after her or any of my friends, bastard, and you'll regret it."

Alexa and Ronnie walked in silence for a short while. She had finally let go of his hand awkwardly when she realized she was still clutching it like a lifeline, even though she still wanted the comfort it gave. Though Ronnie got on her nerves often, she trusted him with her life, and this event only strengthened that trust.

They walked all the way to the RVs, and when they reached the Falling in Reverse RV, her legs gave out. She slid against the vehicle, trembling. When she sat on the ground, she covered her face and let out a shaky sigh. She closed her eyes and sniffled quietly as she felt Ronnie slide down next to her, gently (and somewhat awkwardly) placing his arm on her shoulders. He rubbed her arm quietly, seemingly unsure of what to say, but she welcomed the comfort. 

"You know, I thought I was an asshole, but I don't think I'd ever stoop so low as to attack a girl wandering all alone," Ronnie stated, snorting. "He sure was unlucky, picking you out of the crowd. He's even more unlucky that I happened to be searching for you."

Alexa hung her head low, her breathing slowing significantly as she calmed herself down. A small, weak chuckle escaped her lips. "Thank you," was all she said. 

She raised her eyes and met his, and he simply nodded in response. "I guess it's a good thing you stopped me, I might have killed him had you not," The singer said, grinning slightly. They sat there for a few more minutes in comfortable silence, until she found it in herself to stand up and resume her day. 

"How was the show?" She asked, putting her hands in her pockets as Ronnie got up from the grass. 

"It was the usual. Lots of screaming fans, crazy chicks, and weirdos. It was good. Want a drink?" He opened the RV door and climbed in, holding the said door for her. 

"Yes, please. I could use one." She followed in after him and the two went into the kitchen to get their drinks. This was perhaps the first time he'd actually acted like he cared for her. Maybe it was out of sympathy because of what had happened, but he didn't seem like the overly sympathetic type. Part of her hoped it was because something in him actually cares for her, but her rational side told her to shut up and drink her beer. It was a ridiculous thought, that he'd actually care for her. He did call her his friend, though...

XXX

"What the hell?!" Andy exclaimed through the phone, "Wait, who tried to r-"

"No, look, Andy," Alexa sighed loudly, "I'm fine. Nothing happened. The only person who's hurt is whoever it was that attacked me. Ronnie came and beat the crap out of him."

"The bastard is about to get another beating from your big brother," he growled through the phone, "Are you sure you're ok?"

Alexa rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Andy, I'm fine. I'm just in the RV with Ronnie. The others are still at the signing booth, but they'll be back soon."

"...You're alone with Radke?" Andy asked slowly. Alexa cursed softly. Andy had always told her never to be alone with Ronnie for many reasons. He knew about Ronnie's past and didn't trust him one bit. He didn't like the idea of her working with his team and told her so from the start, but she assured him it would be ok.

"Look, I'm not a child anymore. I can make my own decisions. I'm almost 21-years-old for crying out loud. I'll be in bars by myself drinking away my woes pretty soon," She joked, hoping it would cheer Andy up. It didn't. 

"I'm coming over to your RV right now. I'll be there in five minutes," her brother stated. 

"No, Andy, wait-" She was cut short when she heard the click that meant he'd hung up on her. She groaned loudly, falling back onto the couch. 

"What's up?" Ronnie asked, crumpling his third beer can and tossing it into the garbage can. 

"Nothing, my brother's being an idiot again." She shoved her iPhone into her pocket and took another sip of her beer. She was on her second but doubted she'd be able to finish it. As much as she hated to admit it, she was quite the lightweight and knew she shouldn't have even finished the first one. Luckily for her, Ronnie seemed to be able to hold his liquor pretty well. 

Alexa let out a drunken giggle. She knew that was a bad sign, and Andy would kill her for drinking without his supervision, and Ronnie for allowing her to drink, but she couldn't bring herself to care. "He thinks you're going to rape me or something," She laughed.

The singer furrowed his brow. "Andy thinks I'm a pervert?"

"Hmm... No, I don't think so," She said, placing her finger on her chin in a thoughtful fashion, "I think he just doesn't trust you... Probably because he knows about your past experience with drugs and violence. Maybe he thinks you'll get me into that sort of stuff or something."

Ronnie frowned. He stood up and walked over to Alexa, who stared at him dazedly. He gently pried her fingers off of her half finished can and chugged it himself. 

"Hey! What are you doing?" She asked, reaching towards the beer can he was now drinking from. 

"I think you've had enough, lightweight. You're too small to drink two whole cans on your own. Plus, I can tell, you're drunk already. It takes me around five of these to get to where you are after one drink, you know." Ronnie seemed slightly offended at what Alexa had said. She didn't know what had upset him, though, but it must have been something she said.

"Ronn-" She began to whine when the RV door was flung open. Andy, his stage makeup still on, came storming into the RV. Before even looking at Alexa, he stomped toward Ronnie with a visible frown.

"Why the hell did you allow my sister to be attacked like that? And what the hell made you think I'd be ok with you two being alone together?" Andy practically had steam coming out of his ears. 

"What the hell is your deal?" Ronnie exclaimed, "I saved her, for crying out loud! She was going to be beaten and raped, and I stopped both of those things from happening, and now you're going to lecture me?"

Alexa stood up, swaying slightly as she did so, and walked up to Andy. She grabbed his arm for support and looked up at the tall man. "Hey, leave Ronnie alone, he helped me out."

Andy examined her face for a brief moment, before closing his eyes and sighing in irritation. "You let her drink? Are you kidding me?"

Ronnie rolled his eyes. "Alexa may be your sister, but she's almost 21 years old. You can't babysit her and be her parent all the time. She's allowed to make her own decisions, you know." After a brief pause, his brow furrowed, matching Andy's furious one. "And the hell, Biersack? Don't you trust me? Don't you know all that stuff that happened in the past is in the past? If that were still going on, I wouldn't be allowed in this band, asshole."

"I'm not so much of a jerk as to hold that against you, Radke, but that doesn't mean I have to trust you, especially with one of the most important people in my life. There are two women I've sworn to keep safe, and you're messing with one of them. I suggest you watch yourself," Andy snarled. He took Alexa's hand and pulled her out of the RV. She stumbled along behind him but managed to get one more look at Ronnie. He looked absolutely pissed... and sad... That was a first.

XXX 

A/N: Told you this one would be more interesting. Anyway, sorry if it's not that great. Please leave a comment anyway. I'll post more often the more comments I get, because, remember, I have no motivation! Plus I have high school and dual credit at college, so please remember that I won't even think about this story unless I have you guys pushing me. -Kurai <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back again with another update. Yep, I'm feeling really motivated to write this story since I only just started it, so I'm trying to keep my momentum going. Please comment with love and/or suggestions. I'm fueled by coffee and comments, so leave some! Thanks for reading. -Kurai <3

Andy forced Alexa to sleep in his RV that night. He didn't like the idea of her being drunk in her RV with Ronnie, so he gave her his bed and slept on a mat beside it. She normally would have protested, but she was still drunk and too exhausted to argue that night.

The next morning, she was awoken in a not so pleasant manner. She peeled open her eyes to see Ashley Purdy standing over her and poking her forehead over and over. A small frown made its way to her face as she became more aware of what was going on, in particular, the brightness of the sun shining through the window, whose curtains had been pulled to the side. 

"...Yes?" Alexa questioned with irritation in her voice. She turned to face Ashley better, wiping a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth.

"Uhh... Ronnie texted me asking to send you over to your RV. He told me not to tell Andy about it, also... We're about to move on to the next city, so I suggest you get a move on unless you'd like to be stuck with your grouchy-ass older brother for hours on end," Ashley said with a smirk.

The girl sighed. "You know he is mad for a stupid reason, right?" She asked, not really expecting an answer. Forcing herself to sit up, she saw a glass of water and a painkiller on the nightstand. Andy must have thought she'd drunk a lot to get as tipsy as she was... Nope. One can of beer was all it took. She drank the glass of water, leaving the pill, and grabbing her shoes ran out of the door and through the dewy grass to her RV.

Alexa had intended to slip into the RV quietly and go straight to her own bed, avoiding any awkward contact with Ronnie, but to her dismay, the door was locked. She wondered if she should just sit on the steps until someone came to unlock the door, but she decided she'd better not.

"Guys, let me in," She called out, knocking on the door quietly so as not to wake anyone who might still be asleep. It was only 7:30 am, after all, but they should have all been awake anyway since they had to leave soon.

Her feet were wet because of the dew, and she felt disgustingly sweaty since she hadn't showered last night. She mentally berated herself for drinking the previous night, until she recalled what had driven her to do so. She didn't know exactly what she'd said to Ronnie, but she remembered his expression, and she knew it wasn't good. That was why she wanted to avoid him... But logically, she knew she couldn't avoid him forever. 

She still silently prayed he wouldn't be awake yet.

She could hear someone fiddling with the lock inside, and even more to her dismay, Ronnie opened the door. He was still in his pajamas, that being sweatpants and nothing more, with his hair a disaster. 

"I wondered when Biersack would let you come back to us," He stated dryly, stepping to the side and letting Alexa in. 

"Uh... I left without telling him. Ashley sent me over," Alexa explained, setting her shoes on the floor by the door. She awkwardly sat on the couch, somewhat hoping Ronnie would follow, though at the same time praying he wouldn't. She wanted to get the awkward conversation over and out of the way so they could move on, but at the same time, she didn't really want to deal with the said conversation. 

Ronnie did follow suit, grabbing a cup of black coffee from the table and sipping it as he sat down on the opposite end of the couch. The two sat in tense silence for a few minutes, Alexa picking at the hem of her sleeve awkwardly. 

"So..." She began, "About yesterday... Thank you for helping me out. I know Andy was a jerk about it, but I'll explain everything to him later today."

Ronnie let out a bitter laugh, "I'm not upset about that, Alexandra. Biersack is an idiot, that much I know."

It felt odd to the girl to be called by her actual name, but she didn't comment on it. "Well... To be honest, I don't remember exactly what I said yesterday, but I know it wasn't good."

The singer shook his head dismissively. "It doesn't matter. I don't need any shitty, worthless apologies, not from you or Biersack." Ronnie stood up irately and walked to his room without another word. 

Alexa simply stared as he left the main room. She was unsure of how to react. Part of her was angry that he refused to listen to her for a moment, and another part wanted to cry. She felt like she had gotten so close to being a real friend of his, and now her chances were ruined. 

She buried her face in her hands and let out a sigh. Should she follow him? should she wait it out? She didn't know. Either way, it could end badly... Either could end her chances of gaining his friendship. But why did she care so much about being his friend? Perhaps it was because having her brother and Juliet wasn't enough for her. She wanted a close friend that she wasn't related to. Perhaps it was because she was lonely, but refused to admit it to herself.

Alexa decided to leave it be for now. She'd heard stories of Ronnie's temper, and came to the conclusion that she'd better not prod the bear with a stick. Instead, she left the RV once again and walked to the nearest coffee shop. She had around an hour to kill before they left, so it couldn't hurt to get a coffee or two before they headed out. 

As she walked, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to the event that had happened the day before. Every time she thought about the man who had attacked her, she shuddered. Every time she remembered how Ronnie had protected her, she got goosebumps. Every time she remembered the expression on his face when Andy said he didn't trust him to take care of her because of his past... Yes, that was what she had forgotten. That was what had upset Ronnie so much. Andy was judging him based on his past. 

Nobody could really blame her brother for not trusting him, but he didn't know Ronnie as well as Alexa did. Alexa knew she had nothing to fear, but Andy couldn't know that, and neither could the rest of the world. She wished she could change that fact, but she couldn't, and it would take a lot of work from Ronnie for him to. Nevertheless, Ronnie had a point when he mentioned Andy being too controlling of her. She was an adult and technically shouldn't have to be bossed around by her big brother, as much as she valued his opinion.

She entered the small coffee shop that was about a twenty-minute walk from the RVs. If she spent twenty minutes there, she would make it back to the band just in time for departure. After ordering her coffee, she sat down by the window and pulled out her phone. There were three unread messages from Andy, which she opened. 

Andy @ 7:36 am: "You went back to your RV, didn't you?"  
Andy @ 7:41 am: "You may be an adult, but I'm your big brother and still have to keep you from shitty men."  
Andy @ 8:12 am: "You know how I feel about Radke. Stay safe, okay? I can't keep you from him, but I can ask that you not do anything stupid, and to tell me if he does anything stupid."

Alexa sighed and typed out a response. 

Alexa @ 8:23 am: "I know. You may not trust him, but you don't have any reason not to trust me. I can take care of myself."

The girl sat there for another ten minutes, slowly sipping her coffee till it was all gone. She then ordered another with a to-go lid and headed back to the RV. She decided it would be a good idea to talk to Ronnie when she got back since he'd had time to relax and calm down so he could think straight. 

XXX

When she was about halfway back, she began to get an uneasy feeling. She knew the feeling of being watched, and this was definitely it. She continued to walk as she had been, trying to act casual, but alarms were blaring in her mind. Everything appeared normal, though, she couldn't deny. The wind blew gently, the sun shone jovially, and cars drove to and fro on the roads as they had, day in and day out. 

To her horror, she heard footsteps directly behind, and she knew she couldn't just ignore the feeling of being stalked anymore. She turned around to see the same man who had assaulted her the previous day. 

Her breath hitched, causing the disgusting, smug grin to grow on the man's face. She reached slowly into her pocket and fiddled with her phone in her fingers.

"You again..." She began, trying to distract him as she attempted to go her recent calls blindly in her pocket and call anyone she could to get help.

"You know... I'm your biggest fan. I don't know why that bothers you so much," The man said in a low voice, stepping closer to the helpless woman, "But now you don't have that tattooed freak to interrupt us... So we can be better acquainted."

Had she heard those words from anyone else, she would have gagged, but she was too terrified in this situation to do so. She wasn't sure, but she hoped she had called someone on her phone. She left her phone ringing and pulled her hand out of her pocket, raising both arms and stepping back. 

"Look, I really don't want to do this again... Please, just let me go, I won't call the police or tell Andy or Ronnie that you've tried this again-"

"Ronnie! That's his name, the one who came yesterday... Yes, I'll let him know what I've done to you first, so he'll know he failed and regret interrupting yesterday because you'll receive something far worse today to make up for his mistake... Anyhow..." The man stepped closer to her once again and reached toward her shoulders to pull her in. 

"I just wanted to get coffee this morning at Starbucks, is that too much to ask of the universe?" Alexa cried loudly, hoping that whoever was on the line would hear the hint she dropped. "Look, we're in the middle of a road, let's at least move to that port-a-potty and out of the street, okay?" She pleaded, shifting backward again. 

The man seemed to sense something was off with what she was saying because he began to look around hesitantly. "What are you doing, slut?" He asked angrily, clutching her shoulders and shaking her harshly. He reached down and shoved a hand in her pocket, causing her to yelp frightfully, and retrieved her phone. He looked at the screen and slammed the "end call" button.

"You stupid bitch!" He exclaimed, slapping her across the face with full force. She cried out in pain, raising a hand to clutch her bright red cheek. She then stomped on his foot as hard as she could and began to struggle just as much to escape his grasp. 

An ear-piercing scream escaped her lips and echoed through the trees. She was terrified that whoever it was that she had called was too far to help, or that it was her parents in another state, or that she hadn't even called anyone she knew. She was practically on her own. She couldn't rely on anyone to help her out of this situation, but she suspected that if that were the case, she'd be screwed... She mentally slapped herself for that word choice.

The more she struggled, the firmer his grip on her was. He began to drag her out of the road and toward the treeline, causing more panic to rise in her. She had never been very big, making her much more mobile for creeps like the one she was dealing with. She had held back her shrieks as best as she could for her pride's sake, but she decided that it would be best for her to let loose, in hopes that someone might hear her. 

She felt something hard whack her over the back of the head, causing her to go limp for a moment because of the waves of shock and pain. She let out a weak groan as her head rolled forward, her chin resting on her chest. She could barely think straight. 

"Finally..." She heard the man mutter irately, as he continued to drag her at a quickening rate out of the sight of anyone who might be around. Though her body was almost completely limp, save for small struggles that she knew were futile, her mind was a jumbled mess. This couldn't be happening, not to her... She hadn't even kissed anyone, for crying out loud, why did this have to happen to her? She was pretty sure she'd rather be beaten to death.

Once they were at the edge of the treeline in the ditch, she decided that now was her last chance. She unleashed another scream, her loudest yet, though it hurt her head like hell, and struggled as much as her body would allow, even though she felt like vomiting and passing out at the same time. 

The man groaned in irritation at her actions and attempted to clamp a hand over her mouth. To her relief, she could hear sirens in the distance... Or were they sirens? Maybe it was the ringing in her ears; she couldn't be sure. Things were incredibly blurry for her, now. She reached up to rub her eyes and her hand came back wet. She was crying again. 

She heard the man swear angrily, and all of a sudden she felt another hard hit to the head, and just before everything went dark, she saw in a spinning world, Ronnie running toward her, shouting profanities. 

XXX

When Alexa opened her eyes, she was in an entirely different location. She could hear a faint beeping in the background, and the light from the ceiling was killing her head. Frowning, she turned her head to the side to escape the glare of its brightness, only to find Andy sitting in a chair beside her bed.

"Damn it, Al..." He mumbled, moving to sit on the edge of her bed and grasping her hand tightly. "That was so stupid of you, you know?"

Alexa rolled her eyes. "It's not like I meant for it to happen, asshat..." After a brief pause, she continued, "Why am I in a hospital?"

"You got a really bad concussion. He hit you in two different spots on the head, so you experienced some severe blunt force trauma," Andy explained. "They said you should be fine, but they wanted to monitor you until you woke up and do some testing just to be sure."

Alexa nodded and pushed herself into a sitting position. She suddenly remembered seeing Ronnie before she lost consciousness, and the sound of sirens nearby. "What happened? Where's Ronnie?"

"I wasn't there, so I wouldn't know. I was only informed of the situation after you were taken here... You called Radke for help, apparently." The girl could hear the irritation in her brother's voice. He got offended easily when it came to Ronnie doing something he could have done equally well. 

"Oh, so he was the person in my recents that I called? I didn't choose him over you, Andy. I chose blindly. Had I had a choice, I would have called the police, then you," Alexa stated, rolling his eyes at his offense, and began to fiddle with the hem of her blanket. She then ventured to ask, "Well, where is he now? Is he here?" He would have the answers she wanted... That was why she wanted him here. There was nothing wrong with that.

"Al... Did that man...?" Andy hesitated, shifting awkwardly on the bed. Alexa stared at him in confusion for a moment before realizing what he was asking.

"Oh, Andy, no. I wouldn't be this calm if he touched me in that sort of way. He just beat the crap out of my skull, that's all." Alexa chuckled a little at his concern, squeezing his hand to comfort him. 

"Radke went to get a rental car," Andy said in answer to her previous question with a bit of bitterness in his voice. "Everyone else has gone ahead to the next WT destination, but he and I stayed behind so we could trail along after you woke up. Don't worry, it's only a little past lunch, so we won't be late for any of our shows, we just won't be able to help the bands set up."

Alexa grinned. "Hey, that's not too bad. It's not like any of us wanted to help with that, anyway. When will he be back? I want to hear what happened."

Her brother made a face that clearly showed what he thought. He was severely irritated that she kept mentioning the other singer. "Well, don't you think that I want to know what happened to you from your perspective? What were you doing in town alone? Why weren't you at your RV? Why the hell did Radke let you go out alone?"

That last question made something in Alexa burst. "Look, Andy, Ronnie is not my babysitter! You can't blame him for my stupid decisions, okay? He's not my father, and neither are you. I make my own decisions, and some are stupid, some aren't. Just deal with it and stop blaming him for my mistakes!"

Andy went silent, releasing her hand. He stared her down for a good thirty seconds or so, seemingly contemplating how to react to what she had just said. 

The silence was thick, the only noise being the constant beeping of the heart monitor beside the bed. Alexa sighed and looked away. 

"...As the leader of the band you work for, he has a certain obligation to make sure everyone on his team is safe, and since you're a young girl and he's a man-" Andy began, only to be cut off.

"No, Andy, stop. I'm not a young girl, I'm a woman. Why won't you just let it go? He has never sworn to take care of me or keep me safe, okay? You should just be grateful he was there the first time I was attacked by this psycho, and that he called the police like he did earlier today. I could be dead right now if it weren't for him. Why is that so hard to understand?!" Alexa nudged her brother with her foot, a clear indication that she wanted him off of her bed. He reluctantly complied, standing up and crossing his arms. 

"I'm going to tell the doctor you're awake. We're leaving as soon as you're discharged." With that, he left the room, leaving Alexa in the tense air and feeling guilty for how she spoke to him. He just couldn't seem to get it through his thick skull that she was no longer a child. She was Andy's equal, they were both adults, and he needed to stop babying her. 

A few minutes later, the Doctor came strolling in with a notepad. After a brief talk about her injuries and her prescriptions, he told her that she would be fine and dandy and should have no issues whatsoever. She was more than relieved to get out of the hospital and on the road. Driving for hours on end was therapeutic for her, as much as it seemed to be a bore to everyone else.


End file.
